Cable propulsion for railways



No'moaem' 4 Sheets-Sheet 1-. R. F. BRIDEWELL- GABLE PROPULSION FOR RAILWAYS.

No. 367,086.: Patented July 26, 1887.

4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.) R. P. BRIDEWELL.

UABLE PROPULSION FOR RAILWAYS.

No. 367,086. Patented July 26, 1887.

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(No Model.) 1 R I V R.. P. BRIDEWELL.

CABLE PROPULSION FOR RAILMWAYS.

Patented July 26,, 1887.

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4 sheets sheet (No Model.)

I R. F. BRIDEWELL. CABLE PROPULSION FOR RAILWAYS.

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RICHARD F. BRIDEVVELL, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

CA BLE'DPROPULSION FOR RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 367,086, dated July 26, 1887.

Application filed August 9, 1F86. Serial No. 210,450. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be. it known that I, RICHARD F. BRIDE- WELL, of San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cable Propulsion for Railways; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art towhich it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to improved mechanism for the propulsion of cable-railway cars,

and it has for its objects, first, to impart steady and direct power to the wheels carrying the cable; second, to prevent the slipping of said cable; third, to utilize to advantage the power imparted; fourth, to provide suitable mechanism for changing the rate of speed of cars driven by the cable; fifth, to prevent wear'and tear. of cable, and, sixth, to lubricate and coat said cable with tar while in operation.

With these objects in view my invention consists in certain details of construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, more fully hereinafter described, and their specific points of novelty designated in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view taken through the cars above and supporting-frame below the surface of the ground, showing the gear and drive wheels in position. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view showing the tops of.

thetwo different-sized drive-wheels, the bandwheels, shafts, and pulleys. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view showing the track above, the axle and wheels of car thereupon, and the drive-wheels, gear-wheels, and one band-pulley below. Figs. 4 and 5 are diametrical sections of the drive-wheels with the clutches setail .view of one of lhe drivewheels, the

.clutches arranged upon its periphery, and the A represents a suitable frame placed in 'a pit or excavation at the desired distance under ground. This frame consists of two sills, B, theuprights B B the bearing-stand ards O G 0 G secured at their lower ends in the sill B at'suitableintervals apart, as shown inFig. 1. Suitable journal-bearings are 'secured in the upper ends of these standards, which form the journals for the ends ofthe shafts 0 G on which'are rigidly keyed bevel gear-wheels D D and band-wheels D D*, as shown clearly in Fig. 1. The standards 0 and C are interiorly provided with screw-threaded adj usting-rods 0 G which are adapted to be operated by removable handles 0 C". The

ends of said handles are adapted to fit into holes or sockets 0 0 formed in the head of the screw-threaded rods, and the rods are op-' of each one of these rods rests under and i111 pinges against the journals at the upper ends of the standards 0 G and the lower ends work each in a screw-threaded socket arranged on the lower end of each of said standards. Thus, by operating the removable handles C or G, either one of the journals may be low- ;ered, which thereby throws one of the gearwheels D D, which mesh with central bevel gear-wheel, E, out of gear with said wheel,

which obviously lessens the power applied to 1 the shaft E, to which wheel E is rigidly secured. The lower end of this vertical or upright shaft E is provided with a shoulder, a, and has its bearing in a metal socket, a, in the sill B. Its outer or upper end bears in a socket, b

F F designate the d rive-wheels, which are rigidly keyed to the shaft E, as before stated, and are arranged in proximity to each other cable at different rates of speed.

thercon,the wheel F being less in diameter than wheel F,for the purpose of actuating the The cables G G are made of suitable metal, and are designed to pass around wheels F and F, and are gripped by the clutches arranged on the peripheries of said wheels, as shown in Fig. 2.

h h h h are openings in the walls B B", through which the cables G G pass outward and inward below the line between the tracks, and are guided by friction-pulleys c d d.

Centrally between the rails on the road-bed are formed the openings L L, through which the grip-piece f works on the cables.

This device is of any suitable operative construction, adjustably secured to the car H by a slotted rack-bar, f, actuated by a cogpinion, e, which is fastened to the journal-shaft H, rotated by a spoked wheel; or the grip may consist of any suitable mechanism that will operate and connect the cartothe cable,whereby the grip-piece grasps or clutches upon either of said cables, thereby moving the car having the grip in the same direction with the cable.

The pulleys D D" are connected by belts y g to a stationary engine or other suitablepower, (not shown,) by means of which pulleys motion is imparted to the drive-wheels F F in the manner before described. Both bandwheels may be run by one engine or run separately, as desired.

The clutches or grips arranged upon the peripheries of the two drive-wheels consist each of a metal frame, M, secured at proper intervals around the rims of the wheels F F by bolts Z, said frames having vertically-inclined ear projections provided with pivotpins j, by which thejaws if" i z" are pivoted, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the purpose of this construction being to give a free rocking movement of said jaws in a line with the center of the peripheries of said wheels.

At their lower ends the jaws are loosely joined by a lip-andgroove joint, and are provided with curved recesses above said joint, which are lined with rubber or other elastic material to form a rest for the cables and to give inwardly when the strain of the cable is exerted by the revolution of wheels F F. Thus the cables are firmly clutched or gripped and the whole motive power exerted is utilized without loss by slipping or the wear on the cables. The outer ends of these jaws of the clutches are formed with recesses j, which receive and loosely hold weight-balls j, that serve to open said jaws at the top ofthe wheel when it revolves.

The smaller wheel, F, arranged near to and above wheel F, is also provided with similar clutches or grips, as described hereinbefore; but said grips might be provided in part with projections for counterbalance, and cushioned by a rubber or other elastic material, as may be found desirable when the drive-wheel is revolving in a vertical plane.

J designates the well-hole formed beneath the surface ofthc grou ad in linewith the movement of the cable. This well is designed to be partly filled with oil and tar for the purpose of lubricating and coating the cables with tar. Within this well is a weight, K, provided with a sheave or pulley, k. K K are two pulleys secured above said well, and K" is a loose horizontal return-wheel mounted on a vertical shaft, K said pulleys and return-wheel being grooved to receive cable G, which passes therearound and suspends weight K and a portion of the cable in the contents of the well. 7 This weight serves also as a tension upon the cable.

I represents the rails upon which the wheels of cars H run.

The operation of my invention may be described as follows, viz: Power is imparted to drive-wheels F F through belts g 9' over pulleys D D" from the engine, the bevel cogwheels D D gearing with gear-wheel E on shaft E. The cables passing around theclutch-wheels F F are moved in the direction desired, but at different rates of speed, the large wheel F moving the cable G at a greater speed than wheel F moves cable G. Gar H is placed on the track over the running cables. The grip device projecting down through opening L is clutched upon cable G, thereby causing the car to move rapidly until a crowded thoroughfare is reached,wherc it desirable to go more slowly, when the grip is released from cable G and placed upon cable G, which is actuated by wheel F. Thus the car can be stopped and started as is usual upon cablcroads now in use. When it is found preferable to impart less power to the drive-wheels, the bevel gear-wheel D or D is released from engagement with wheel E by means of the handle 0 or O and the rod C or Cf.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. The combination of the drivewheels of different diameters keyed rigidly to a vertical shaft and provided each with a series of clutches of the construction shown for receiving and holding the eable,with the mechanism for permitting the variable application of power to said drive-wheels, which consists of two upright standards provided with adjustable mcaus for disengaging the pinions of the horizontal shafts with the bcvel-gear of vertical shaft, as set forth.

2. The combination of the two drive-wheels having different diameters and provided with a series of clutches on their peripheries which automatically release and grasp the cable, the two endless cables, and the mechanism for the application of variable power to said drivewheels, as described.

3. The combination of the two horizontal shafts adjustably secured to standards, each carrying a pulley and cog-wheel, with the central gear-wheel, its vertical shaft, and two drive-wheels keyed thereon of different diameters, provided with clutches on their pc- IIO 367,086 a l f 2 ripheries adapted to hold and move the cables, as set forth.

4. The combination of a vertical shaft hav ing means for imparting motion thereto, the two wheels of different diameters mounted thereon and provided with a series of clutches upon their peripheries, the cables provided with guide and friction wheels, and the tension-weight for depressing the cable in any aperture or recess below the line of its course, as described. 7

5. The combination, in a cable clutch wheel, of a frame having oppositely-inclined levers pivoted thereon, and provided with lipped and curved inner ends and hollow outer ends,with the movable Weight-balls, as set forth.

6. The combination. of the standards 0 O k and O Gisecured to the sill, the rods 0 O,se-

cured in standards 0 0 the removable handles for operating said rods, and the shafts O 0 having baud-wheels D D and gear-wheels D D mounted thereon, as set forth.

7. The combination of the standards 0 C my own I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RICHARD F. BRIDEWELL.

Witnesses:

JAMES L. KING, WV. N. KEMPSTON. 

